Stripped down version of Rage used to bring classic Doom games to PS3

The PlayStation 3 runs Doom, thanks to technology developed 18 years after the game's debut on PC. A stripped down version of id Tech 5 was used to port both Doom and Doom 2 to Sony's current-gen console for the upcoming Doom 3 BFG Edition.

Speaking with Joystiq contributor Britton Peele at QuakeCon 2012, id Software Creative Director Tim Willits said the "easiest way" to get network support working on PlayStation 3 was to start with Rage, the 2011 shooter in which id Tech 5 debuted.

"We never released Doom 1 and Doom 2 on the PlayStation Network," Willits said. "So we're like, 'OK, what's the easiest way to do this?' And what the guys did instead of rewriting all the network support, [support for] friends, and all that kind of stuff, is they took Rage, took out all the 'Rage' bits and put Doom 1 and 2 on top of it." Despite the update in background tech, the classic games look identical to their original '90s counterparts.

Willits added that when PS3 players launch the classics this October, they will actually be "launching most of id Tech 5," with a "game loop that runs Doom 1 and Doom 2." Isn't technology grand?